DEHRADUN: A Dehradun court has ordered actor Urmila Sanawar to undergo narco-analysis and polygraph tests in connection with an audio recording allegedly referring to a “VIP” in the Ankita Bhandari murder case. The tests will be conducted in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, though the date for the polygraph examination is yet to be announced.
Sanawar appeared before the court on Friday, following which sources said she was expected to undergo a medical examination in the coming days before being taken to Gujarat.
The court’s order comes amid continuing scrutiny of the audio recording and the claims surrounding it.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Sanawar alleged that Swami Darshan Bharti, also known as GDS Rawat, had offered her a Scorpio vehicle and Rs 25 lakh to dissuade her from appearing for the narco test.
“He offered me a Scorpio and Rs 25 lakh and told me not to go there on November 26,” she claimed.
Sanawar said she had also received a call from Patel Nagar police station asking her to appear in connection with a complaint against her. She said she told the caller that she would attend the narco test and provide her statement to the police.
Sanawar alleged that steps were subsequently taken to prevent her from appearing for the test and claimed that a larger conspiracy had been planned before the scheduled date.
She also linked her allegations to what she described as political rivalries within the state BJP, claiming that the party had three groups. Sanawar alleged that a separate murder case, which she referred to as the “Neelam murder case”, could also be exposed if she underwent the test.
Sanawar further accused the police of arriving at her home with several vehicles, disabling neighbourhood CCTV cameras, accessing her call detail records and resetting her phone. She also alleged that footage or records relating to her home's cameras had gone missing.
Swami Darshan Bharti rejected Sanawar's claims while speaking to the TNIE, calling them “completely baseless and unfounded”. He said it was “ridiculous” that she had earlier spoken of Rs 50 crore and was now alleging an offer of a vehicle and Rs 25 lakh. He accused her of making claims to remain in the media spotlight.
Sanawar's allegations follow her release from Haridwar's Roshanabad jail shortly before Diwali, after which she made a series of public claims related to the case.
The narco-analysis and polygraph examinations are investigative procedures, and their results, if conducted, would need to be assessed by investigators and the court.
Recounting another incident, Sanawar said she had been taken to an office where an unidentified man questioned her about the CBI's interrogation.
“I was taken to an office, where a dark-complexioned man—who looked like some petty official—was sitting,” Sanawar said. “I asked him why I had been brought there and whether he had a warrant. He showed me none. Then he asked what the CBI had questioned me about. He kept addressing me as ‘Madam’, but there was no nameplate and he was not wearing a police uniform.”